New care home
to open offering
80 new jobs

A new care home for the elderly featuring a cinema and bistro is set to open this autumn creating up to 80 new jobs

Hastings Court will be a state-of-the-art care home located on The Ridge that will provide residential dementia and nursing care for 80 residents.

The building is expected to be completed by October.

The topping out ceremony, traditionally a sign of good luck for the building, and celebrating the bedding of the last construction block, will take place Thursday (August 14) at 12.30pm.

The Mayor of Hastings, Bruce Dowling, will be present, as will representatives from the builders, Baxter & Hill Construction; the architects, DWA; and Hastings Court itself.

A donation will be made by Hastings Court to the Mayor’s charity.

Carol Preston, operations manager of Hastings Court, said: “The Mayor will plant a tree on the site and a toast will be drunk to the new building that is due to open to residents at the end of September.

“We’re very proud of the building itself. But equally important as the construction are our plans for Hastings Court and the community.

“There will be extensive light-filled welcoming communal areas, balconies accessible from the second floor, a cinema, a function suite, bar and bistro, activities room and hairdressing salon, all set in beautiful grounds that surround the home on three sides.

“But we are also opening up Hastings Court to the wider community encouraging interaction between residents and non-residents.

“Hastings Court will be the home of The Ridge Club that will host a wide variety of music, drama and art events and social occasions, and that will be open to residents and non-residents alike.”

The care home is open for prospective residents, or their families, to view and meet the manager, Katie Brewster.

10 million people in the UK are aged over 65 years today. The latest Government projections are for 5.5 million more elderly people in 20 years time and the number is expected to rise to around 19 million by 2050. There are currently three million people aged more than 80 years and this is projected to almost double by 2030.